We’re rolling into the final stretch of December, and there’s lots of cozy, joyful fun happening around our school. Here’s what’s coming up!
Final Flourish Family Food Markets
We have two markets this month, as always please bring your own bags:
Friday, December 12
Thursday, December 18
Special Note:
Tomorrow’s market features a wide selection of bath and hygiene products, generously provided by our amazing staff member Nancy Paton in partnership with Soap for Hope. Thank you, Nancy!
Flourish is hosting 2 family markets over the winter break. Monday Dec 29th at EMCS in Sooke and Tuesday December 30th at Spencer Middle school: Flourish Winter Break Market
6 Days of Winter – Spirit Week!
Each day has a fun theme and an optional donation item to support our community via the Goldstream Food Bank.
Friday, December 12 – Glow Up!
Wear your sparkliest outfits or festive red and green! Donation: Dried goods (pasta, rice, lentils)
Monday, December 15 – Christmas Around the World
Join us as we explore holiday traditions from different cultures. Donation: Warm socks or gloves
Tuesday, December 16 – Hanukkah!
Celebrate the Festival of Lights with us. Donation: Toothpaste
Wednesday, December 17 – Ugly Sweater Day
Pull out your best “beautifully ugly” holiday sweater or extra-festive gear. Donation: Canned goods
Thursday, December 18 – PJ Day!
Comfy, cozy, and ready to learn! Donation: Hot or cold cereal
Friday, December 19 – Last Day of School!
Thank you and please let us know if you have any questions.
Family Food MarketFlourish is excited to be hosting two free food markets for families this winter break. Flourish will be at EMCS on Monday DECEMBER 29, and Spencer Middle School on Tuesday DECEMBER 30th. This will be open to all, no questions asked, and usually there is quite an abundance of food in the warehouse in the week after the holidays so we are hoping to have lots of great stuff!
Next snack day is Kernels popcorn on Oct 16, with orders due Oct 9. Order at savory.hotlunches.net
Fundraising:
Winter Hilltop Greenhouses: now available to order on the hot lunch website. Ordering closes November 4 and plants will be delivered to the school December 11. savory.hotlunches.net
Dieleman Fundraiser: Packages went home in backpacks last week with details on how to order. Shop online until Nov 18 at www.shopdfscanada.com using organization ID 7440.
Customer ID 12894. Last day to order is Nov 30. Delivery will be before winter break.
Halloween Events:
Mr. Vargas with the help of the PAC will be hosting The Haunted Gym October 27 & 28 from 5:30-7:30pm as a fundraiser for the grade 5 classes. If you are a parent of a grade 5 student please consider volunteering for this event. This event is open to the community so please feel free to invite friends and family.
The PAC will be hosting a Halloween Dance October 29th 5:30-7:30 for Savory families. Please note that there will be no staff supervision and parents/guardians will be required to attend with their students. There will be a Halloween movie playing in the library, a quiet colouring space in the hall, a concession, and a DJ dance party in the gym. Pizza and tickets can be preordered on the hot lunch site. savory.hotlunches.net We will need some volunteers so please look for a signup coming soon.
September was an outstanding month. Savory students and staff came back to school ready to work and learn together with a positive and enthusiastic outlook. The community has grown with new staff, new students and a facelift from fresh paint throughout the building. Many returning families have commented on the clean, spacious feeling the new paint colours have created and it is reflected in the happy faces of our students too.
The PAC, otherwise known as the Parents Advisory Council, is a group of parents and guardians who meet on a monthly basis to discuss and plan activities, events, and fundraisers for Savory Elementary. The PAC works closely with school administrators and teachers to organize events and activities that will enrich the lives of students at Savory and our community. All parents and guardians of Savory Elementary are encouraged and welcome to join the PAC and attend our monthly meetings. PAC meetings are an excellent way to keep informed on what is going on within Savory and meet / connect with other parents and caregivers. The meetings are generally held on the second Wednesday of each month. The meetings run from 6:00 pm to approximately 7:30 pm at the school. Our first meeting is September 10.
Members of the PAC are typically involved in the following activities:
● Fundraising for school equipment, field trips and cultural events
● Planning special events for family fun
● Organizing food for fun (hot lunch days)
● Liaising with Principal and Vice Principal about daily happenings
● Enhancing teacher / parent communications whenever possible
● Many more opportunities as needed
For more information about the PAC or to get involved, please contact the PAC Executive via email at pacsavory@gmail.com. We also have a Facebook page, Savory Elementary PAC.
We currently have two vacant PAC executive positions, Secretary and SPEAC representative.
PAC Hot Lunch/Snack Days
As we start another exciting year at school, it is also time to get PAC hot lunch and snack days up and running. We will be using online ordering to ensure accuracy of orders and to make the process as easy as possible for everyone. Please note: the system is reset at the end of every school year so even if you were registered previously you will need to re-register for the 2025/2065 school year. Here’s how to get started…
● Go to savory.hotlunches.net
● Click on “Click Here to Register”
● Complete the registration form and click “Register Now”
● On the welcome screen click on the green “Students”
● Complete the details for your student and click “Insert”. To add additional students, click the “Add New” button.
● Once your student(s) are registered, click on “Orders”
● Proceed to order hot lunch or fundraising items for your students
Our first PAC hot lunch is The Crazy Cookie House on Thursday September 18th. Orders are Due September 11th. If you have questions about hot lunch/snack days or want to volunteer to help out on hot lunch/snack days please email savorypacevents@gmail.com
Savory Elementary Winter Fundraising 2025
We are happy to start off our PAC winter fundraising efforts. As a PAC we try to provide a variety of fundraising opportunities throughout the school year. Please do not feel any pressure as we do not expect everyone to participate or buy products from all fundraisers. We never want to cause hardship for families. Fundraisers being sent home by email and sometimes with paper copies. Information will also be posted to the hot lunch website (savory.hotlunches.net). The money generated fully goes back to support the students at Savory Elementary. Any questions regarding fundraising please contact savoryfundraising@gmail.com
Ongoing Fundraisers:
● Peninusula CO-OP ○ CO-OP #33749 ○ A percentage of sales on gas, grocery, and liquor will be given to Savory PAC
● Bottle Depot ○ You can take your returnables there and ask for the funds to be deposited into the Savory Account #763.
● Mabels Labels ○ Go to campaigns.mabelslabels.com and search for Savory Elementary School PAC ○ Savory will receive 20% of all orders. Upcoming Fundraisers and how to order:
● Purdy’s Chocolates ○ Campaign is active! ○ Order online at https://fundraising.purdys.com Customer ID 12894 ○ Last Day to order Sunday November 30th ○ Pick up date is before Winter Break, information will go out via email and our Facebook page
You are overdue a newsletter, full of all the wonderful and exciting goings on here at Savory. I will send it out on Friday so please keep an eye out for it and get ready with a cup of tea because it is going to be a long one! Until then, there are three important items you must know!
First, tomorrow is the Savory Elementary Terry Fox run! Each year, schools across Canada and around the world, participate in this annual event to raise funds for pediatric cancer research. Terry Fox grew up in Port Coquitlam, just outside Vancouver, so it always feels extra special to keep his dream alive here in BC. If your family can spare it, please send a ‘Toonie for Terry’ with your student tomorrow. We will send a cheque to the Terry Fox Foundation on behalf of our school with the proceeds. For more information on Terry Fox please visit https://terryfox.org/
Secondly, the ever-popular Friday Market is back starting this Friday, September 26th. For those of you new to Savory, our school district works with the incredible Flourish! School Food Society. Flourish provides hot meals and fresh fruits and vegetables for students through our lunch program with no cost to families. They are also committed to food sustainability and supporting the families of our students by sharing donations and groceries through a market style event. You may have seen their market here at Savory over the summer where fresh foods and baked goods were available to pick up at no cost. The Friday Market is the same idea. Flourish delivers the food to the school and we will open the doors to families to bring a shopping bag and take-home good food.
If your family could use support with food for your children while at school, please reach out to me at cdeichmann@sd62.bc.ca or by phone. We can work together to ensure everyone has enough to eat during the school week.
We ask the following of those participating in the Friday Market:
· Please wait outside until staff welcome you in at 2:30.
· Bring your own shopping bags to carry your items home in.
· Shoppers must stay in a single file line; there is no moving ahead of other shoppers. We want to ensure everyone has enough time see what is available and take what their family needs without feeling pressured.
· Children must be with an adult to participate. They are not welcome to help themselves to items while unsupervised or out of the line.
Lastly, we are looking forward to welcoming you all to our Meet the Staff evening tomorrow night! Our PAC is putting on a free BBQ and families are encouraged to connect and reacquaint yourselves with the school and your community. The BBQ will start at 5:00. There will be hot dogs, burgers, popcorn, and a limited number of Spinnakers sodas. You are invited to bring a blanket or lawn chair and make it a picnic! If you are able to volunteer at the event, your help is always appreciated. Please [There%20will%20be%20hot%20dogs,%20burgers,%20popcorn,%20and%20a%20limited%20number%20of%20Spinnakers%20sodas.]sign up here.
At 6:00 we will open the doors to the classrooms where teachers will meet you and give your students a chance to show off their space for this year. Please note, there will be many families here eager to meet the staff that work with their children so please refrain from asking questions about how your child is doing academically. This is simply an opportunity to meet the staff and make connections. If you have questions about your child’s progress so far, you can send an email to the teacher to book an appointment and find out more. Thank you for helping make sure there is time for everyone to have a chance to introduce themselves!
That’s it for now – more to come on Friday! I hope to see many of you tomorrow night!
